Adventures in Dieting

About a year ago I decided I needed to work a little harder to be a little healthier. I signed up for "Boot Camp" and started exercising regularly with Laura, the best fitness instructor for miles. While attending Boot Camp I learned about "Clayton", the Building Healthy Lifestyles Coach at the Raymond Clinic. I got a referral and started visiting with Clayton regularly.

I think I've always known that physical health is really all about weight and I learned a long time ago that weight is all about "calories in" vs "calories out". And I know that calories are all about choices! So I began this journey to lose the "last ten pounds" with my eyes wide open and a pretty good, realistic attitude.

At my first visit with Clayton we talked at length about numbers-an area in which I'm not particularly gifted. But it looked something like this:

1. I was 48 years old the first time I visited with Clayton.

2. I have given birth 5 times.

3. When I got pregnant at age 20, I weighed 125 lbs.

4. My weight was hovering 155 lbs. for about the last 5 years.

5. That's 30 extra pounds in 28 years- just over 1 pound per year...or

6.... a mere 6 pounds per baby! It didn't look that bad when I looked at it like that. (Unfortunately, I did look that bad and it was time to do something about it.)

7. To lose that weight I would need to lose 1 pound per week for 30 weeks! I could be back to babe-o-licious in less than a year! (30 weeks -7 months and change- February 2011 be exact)

8. To lose weight I would need to exercise about 150 minutes a week; or take 10,000 steps a day or decrease my calories to about 1100 per 24 hours.

I was determined to do it and set off with enthusiasm. I loved Boot Camp. I've always been a morning person so 5:30 am worked out well for me and I loved being outside in the early morning. Everything was fresh and cool and the workouts were tremendous. I experienced a couple of firsts last year at Boot Camp. I actually got to the point where I could do two minutes of push ups effortlessly and then I pulled a muscle doing sprints one morning. I've never worked hard enough to pull a muscle-EVER! It was a new and exhilarating experience for me. And my body was feeling awesome. I looked better and I lost some weight over the summer-about 5 pounds.

And then I stalled! And I stalled hard. Week after week I would head off to Clayton's office to weigh in and week after week I weighed the same give or take a few ounces.

Winter arrived with a fury and as it got colder and the snow got deeper I decided I could not go to exercise class anymore- too early and too cold. Then I decided I couldn't visit with Clayton anymore either. There was Halloween candy, Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners to contend with. I was just done. I would eat healthy and walk on my treadmill but all that other extra work was hardly worth the 5 measly pounds I'd dropped.

So spring has arrived; I'm down 5 pounds from last year but SERIOUSLY?! 5 pounds...so I headed back to Boot Camp and over to see Clayton.

I had finally broken the 150 mark around Christmas time and on my scale at home weighed in anywhere from 147-149 on any given day. Last week when I visited with Clayton, he laughed right out loud as he looked at my numbers.

He explained, " Weight is generally very dynamic. It goes up and down during the day-sometimes there will be as much as a four pound difference in one 24 hour period."

But not me. I have weighed EXACTLY the same each time I've stepped on that high tech scale since the beginning of the year; regardless of the time of day or my eating habits. I've had cake for my birthday and I finished off all my nieces' Valentine treats and chocolate Easter bunnies.

That's 6 visits in the last 4 months and absolutely NO CHANGE in my weight. So it really didn't seem to matter if I ate hershey kisses for breakfast or stayed in bed through my exercise class. My weight is stable. That's a nice way of saying "stalled"!

So if ever there was a reason to be discouraged or unmotivated, this has got to be it. But I will carry on in my quest for the acceptable BMI; right after I finish these Doritos.

(to be continued...of course)

Back to Boot Camp

Last spring I went to "Boot Camp." For years I had wanted to work harder at exercising and staying healthy. Painfully aware of my own mortality, I set off on a journey of early morning fitness and self discovery that would last the entire summer. IT WAS AMAZING!!!

I have always been an early riser so waking with the sun to go exercise was FUN! I didn't miss a workout and loved every minute of the journey until winter set in...By the end of October, it was still very dark at 5:30 in the morning and it was cold and most mornings there was SNOW on the ground! I could not make myself go. I started sleeping through my alarm and by November 1, I just plain quit going. I settled in for a long winter's nap and packed on a few extra pounds of insulation.

The sun has been waking me up the last few weeks. I have heard the occasional bird chirping in my backyard. I've been thinking about Boot Camp. Last night "Laura" called. "I'm starting a new session tomorrow and it's half price for the month of May."

I was so excited to get back to boot camp. I set my alarm for 5:13 am. I was ready, set....

GO!! The alarm sounded and I bounded out of bed; ready to go at 5:28 and in the car by 5:30 for the 15 minute drive to boot camp. I was PUMPED!! I even remembered my water bottle as I was heading out the door so I was feeling GREAT!

I pulled into the parking lot in record time, jumped out of the car, opened the back door to grab my water bottle and my ?shoes?!!

My toes are still burning from banging my poor bare feet with the skipping rope. I'll be back to boot camp on Wednesday with everything I need to workout properly.

God Bless the USPS (again!)

I think I love the guy who runs the post office in Babb, MT because he clearly loves his job.

If you don't know where Babb is, just imagine the middle of no where and take a left to the edge of the earth. Anyhow, it's a great little post office that offers amazing customer service in the form of "Steve".

I've been planning to make another run to Babb to mail a package to Diana in Portland. I haven't been there since the earthquake and tsunami back in March. (you remember; the mail will be delivered even if the post office is washed away...)

Earlier today I realized that this Friday is Good Friday and here in Canada that means EVERYTHING is closed. No government services and definitely no banking or mailing of letters.

So this afternoon I thought I'd just call the Babb post office and find out what kind of holiday hours they'd be keeping this weekend.

"Hello, United States Postal Service. This is Steve. How can I help you?"

"Hi there. I'm just wanting to know what your hours are Friday or Saturday. I have a package I need to mail and I just realized it's the Easter weekend."

"We're open regular hours Friday and Saturday, Ma'am. This is the United States of America. There is a separation of church and state here. You can mail a package on Good Friday here. I'll see you Friday morning"

And he will. God bless the USPS- again!

i feel like i've been here before...

This week I've been feeling a little bit like Bill Murray in that cult classic "Groundhog Day!"

Seriously, I think I've already lived this day a couple of days this week.

This is what it looked like when I woke up this morning; April 17, 2011.

I swear there was green grass in my backyard when I went to sleep last night!

Oh well, I know where the shovels are and I haven't put my boots away just yet.

just another day in paradise?!?

There are a lot of good reasons to live in small town southern Alberta. The air is fresh. The spaces are wide and open.

It's fun having random wild life (and the occasional stray farm animal) tramp through my yard.

The people are delightful.

I can get pretty much anywhere I need to be in 20 minutes or less. (17 minutes from my driveway to COSTCO). I can count to 4 mississippis at most red lights and be on my way. And out in Magrath, I NEVER wait at a red light. (that's because there are none)

This morning I woke up and read Sara's blog. Now she thinks she's living in paradise, camped out on the beach in Laie, HI. (And she also thinks she's a fashion blogger these days...) Her post about getting ready for suit season is absolutely delightful. And she had some really great photos of SUITS. Somehow, it's just hard to get into the spirit of allt hat is spring when this is what we woke up to this morning- April 14, 2011

backyard winter wonderland

view from the front

**I've actually already mailordered my new suit for this summer. It should be arriving by dogsled in 3-5 business days. And I can always sqwiggle into it under my parka just to get ready for summer.

womens all over control carmella long torso in slate

(from landsend-about 90 bucks)

inspired bloggers all!

My daughter Sara is the one who showed me that blogging could be my thing. She's creative and funny and I think she gets that from ME.

Sara's also always had a pretty good eye for fashion. (That might be because she looks like a super model) I have always counted on her for her "policing" skills. (see last weeks blog- I miss the fashion police). So I wasn't surpirsed when she mentioned to me that she might like to try her hand at a fashion blog.

At first I was alarmed. There are so many of those and they are all basically the same, boring funny-looking, twenty something, skinny chick taking bad pictures of herself. ( note my maternal disdain at the very idea). I tried to discourage her and then relented, understanding how much she loves CLOTHES. (This from a kid who ran around naked in the backyard until she was 5!)

Sara fashionably attired for her ninja demonstration

stripes on top/solids onthe bottom/ color mixing

The post wasn't bad. It had a touch of "saranizing" and I appreciated her referencing my 4-H fashion from 1977. But then I thought to myself. Sara really hadn't showed off her best creations and how she's able to pass on her fashion skills to everyone around her.

Sara last summer as "Avitar"

Jessi as "Avitar"

Now that's more like the Sara we all know and love. She has a lot of fun and she knows how to dress for every occasion. And she's passing those skills on to her fan club. (note Jessi's spots with print combination-I think her tail had fallen off by the time Diana snapped the photo)

say what?

I'm sure you've all heard the one about the mom who was herding her kids into the gas station for a pit stop and as she reached the door she instructed them, in no uncertain terms "Now you know what I said- NO JUNK FOOD! You can only have pop or chips."

I always thought that was a bit of an urban legend since I actually never really heard that statement with my own ears and I'm not even sure I remember who told me the story but this past weekend in Banff I heard something that made me do a classic "say what?"

I was enjoying my weekend at The Rimrock luxury hotel in Banff. It was Friday morning and I had stopped by the little cafe next to the lobby to pick up something for breakfast. This is the hotel cafe that sells breakfast items for a small fortune but it is cheaper than room service and it usually has a good selection of tasty, nutritious foods. I chose a banana and a cereal bar and plunked down my credit card.

As I was signing off on my breakfast choice a young mom and her energetic four year old son bounded into the cafe.

"MOM, can I have that banana for breakfast?!!?" He literally vibrated with excitement as he pointed to the banana behind the the glass counter.

Mom was calm and firm as she outlined what her young son should choose. "Now honey, we came down here to get some breakfast. Look over here at the breakfast foods," whereupon she guided his little head to the other side of the counter that was filled with pastries, donuts and a generally wide selection of what I might be tempted to label, NOT FOOD.

"Choose something for breakfast so we can go swimming", she gently urged.

Yes, I'm sure my jaw hit the floor as I gawked with disbelief and I honestly couldn't think of a thing to say or do but scoop up my banana and make a hasty exit. Seriously? SAY WHAT???